Thursday, February 23

I heard on the Neal Boortz radio show recently that Congressman John Linder was told (I'm not sure who it was, the CEO or other ranking corporate official of an unnamed national retail outlet) that if the FairTax is ever passed, they would begin advertising that they would reduce their prices by 22% on January 1, the day that the FairTax goes into effect.

Now, I don't know what national retail coporation this was, but let's play a little game here. If, for example, Wal-Mart, were to announce that they were reducing prices by 22%, do you think that it's competitors would continue to charge the same prices they are currently charging? Hardly. It's called competition, it's part of capitalism and free-trade and it's a good thing.

Seven states do not have a state income tax. They operate on a state sales tax and it works. I know this to be true because my state of Florida works under a state sales tax - there is no state income tax. And it works so well that Governor Bush wants to give every homeowner in the state a $100 bonus this year. It's being debated; some want to put the money back into the state in the form of roads and infrastructure. Perhaps a noble endeavor, but I think the state would be better off giving me $100 than putting it into a highway project.

I don't know about you, but if I got an extra $100 I would spend it. It would go back into the economy and generate more revenue for the State. Yes, fixing the roads is a good thing, but it won't return money to the State coffers like giving it to the citizens would. You see, chances are I won't spend just $100 at (name the retailer of your choice). More than likely, I would spend another $50 to $100 or more.

During the tax holidays (hurricane preparation items and back-to-school), the state makes money. Not on those items that are excluded from taxes during that period, but on items that are not exempted. Have you ever gone to a store and bought exactly what you planned and no more? Sure it happens, but I believe it's rare.

So the bottom line, as far as I'm concerned: FairTax? It's a good thing.by Deborah Carlock

Tuesday, February 21

Speech ceases to be free when it becomes a lie. The American media has lied to us again.

What we have learned from the Ukrainians:

In December 2002, former Russian intelligence chief Yevgeni Primakov, a KGB general with long-standing ties to Saddam, came to Iraq and stayed until just before the U.S.-led invasion in March 2003.

Primakov supervised the execution of long-standing secret agreements, signed between Iraqi intelligence and the Russian GRU (military intelligence), that provided for clean-up operations to be conducted by Russian and Iraqi military personnel to remove WMDs, production materials and technical documentation from Iraq, so the regime could announce that Iraq was "WMD free."

Shaw said that this type GRU operation, known as "Sarandar," or "emergency exit," has long been familiar to U.S. intelligence officials from Soviet-bloc defectors as standard GRU practice.

In addition to the truck convoys, which carried Iraqi WMD to Syria and Lebanon in February and March 2003 two Russian ships set sail from the port of Umm Qasr headed for the Indian Ocean, where they hid additional stockpiles of Iraqi WMD from flooded bunkers in southern Iraq that were later discovered by U.S. military intelligence personnel.

The Russian clean-up operation was entrusted to a combination of GRU and Spetsnaz troops and Russian military and civilian personnel in Iraq under the command of two experienced ex-Soviet generals, Colonel-General Vladislav Achatov and Colonel-General Igor Maltsev, both retired and posing as civilian commercial consultants.

And the American media knew all this!Deputy Undersecretary of Defense John A. Shaw told an audience Saturday at a privately sponsored Intelligence Summit in Alexandria, Va. (www.intelligencesummit.org),"They were moved by Russian Spetsnaz (special forces) units out of uniform, that were specifically sent to Iraq to move the weaponry and eradicate any evidence of its existence."

Furthermore, Shaw says he leaked the information about the two Russian generals and the clean-up operation to Washington Times reporter Bill Gertz (who reported on Oct. 30, 2004, that Achatov and Maltsev had been photographed receiving medals from Iraqi Defense Minister Sultan Hashim Ahmed in a Baghdad building bombed by U.S. cruise missiles during the first U.S. air raids in early March 2003) in October 2004 in an effort to "push back" against claims by Democrats that were orchestrated with CBS News to embarrass President Bush just one week before the November 2004 presidential election.

At that time the press reported bogus claims that 377 tons of high explosives of use to Iraq's nuclear weapons program had vanished after the U.S.-led liberation of Iraq, while ignoring intelligence of the Russian-orchestrated evacuation of Iraqi WMDs.

There's more to all this, of course, but the upshot of it all is the hatred of the American media for the current administration. We just can't believe what we read in the press!

The latest brouhaha about the administration "selling" the security of American ports to the Arabs is a classic example of misinformation. The truth is that an Arabian company is trying to buy a British company that owns a single terminal in each of six American ports -- terminals used by cruise ships. The way it's reported in the press, you'd think the Bush administration was selling the ports to the Arabs. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Somehow, someway we MUST make the American media responsible for their reporting. Speech ceases to be free when it becomes a lie.

Thursday, February 16

Former Vice President and unsuccessful Presidential candidate Al Gore distinguished himself this past Sunday by appearing before an audience of Saudi Arabians at the Jiddah Economic Forum and committing foul treason.

The U.S. government, Gore said, has committed "terrible abuses" against Arabs after the Sept. 11, 2001, by indiscriminately rounding up "and holding in unforgivable conditions" Saudi citizens. He added that the Bush administration was playing into al-Qaida's hands by routinely blocking Saudi visa applications.

"The thoughtless way in which visas are now handled, that is a mistake," Gore said. "The worst thing we can possibly do is to cut off the channels of friendship and mutual understanding between Saudi Arabia and the United States."

He didn't stop there. "Unfortunately there have been terrible abuses and it's wrong," he added. "I do want you to know that it does not represent the desires or wishes or feelings of the majority of the citizens of my country."

Mr. Gore should be challenged by the American media to produce evidence of these "terrible abuses." He did not provide that evidence in his talk, nor has anyone asked him to do so. As far as I can tell, the mainstream media has ignored his speech and has not even reported it.

Jane Fonda and John Kerry made similar accusations during the Viet Nam war and our soldiers were tortured and killed because of it.

It's time the American people held political activists and politicians responsible for their words and actions. This kind of treason during wartime should not only be brought before the American public but should tried and punished in a court of law.

Tuesday, February 14

One day a florist goes to a barber for a haircut.After the cut he asks about his bill and the barberreplies: "I'm sorry, I cannot accept money from you;I'm doing community service this week" The florist ispleased and leaves the shop. Next morning when thebarber goes to open there is a thank you card and adozen roses waiting for him at his door.

Later, a cop comes in for a haircut, and when he goesto pay his bill the barber again replies: "I'm sorry,I cannot accept money from you; I'm doing communityservice this week." The cop is happy and leaves theshop. Next morning when the barber goes to open upthere is a thank you card and a dozen donuts waitingfor him at his door.

Later! A Republican comes in for a haircut, and whenhe goes to pay his bill the barber again replies: "I'msorry, I cannot accept money from you; I'm doingcommunity service this week." The Republican is veryhappy and leaves the shop. The next morning when thebarber goes to open, there is a thank you card and adozen different books such as "How to Improve YourBusiness" and "Becoming More Successful."

Then a Democrat comes in for a haircut,and when hegoes to pay his bill the barber again replies: "I'msorry, I cannot accept money from you; I'm doingcommunity service this week." The Democrat is veryhappy and leaves the shop. The next morning when thebarber goes to open up, there are a dozen Democratslined up waiting for a free haircut.

And that, my friends, illustrates the fundamentaldifference between left and right.

Friday, February 10

There were 62 combat related killings in Iraq in January, 2006.In the fair city of Detroit there were 35 murders in themonth of January.That's just one American City,About as deadly as the entire war-torn country of Iraq.

When some claim that President Bush shouldn'thave started this war, state the following:

a. FDR led us into World War II.b. Germany never attacked us; Japan did.

From 1941-1945, 450,000 lives were lost ...an average of 112,500 per year.

c. Truman finished that war and started one in Korea.North Korea never attacked us.

From 1950-1953, 55,000 lives were lost ...an average of 18,334 per year.

d John F. Kennedy started the Vietnam conflict in 1962.Vietnam never attacked us.

e. Johnson turned Vietnam into a quagmire.

From 1965-1975, 58,000 lives were lost ..an average of 5,800 per year.

f. Clinton went to war in Bosnia without UN or French consent.Bosnia never attacked us.He was offered Osama bin Laden's head on a platter three times by Sudan and did nothing. Osama has attacked us on multiple occasions.

g. In the years since terrorists attacked us, President Bush has liberated two countries, crushed the Taliban, crippled al-Qaida, put nuclear inspectors in Libya, Iran, and North Korea without firing a shot, and captured a terrorist whoslaughtered 300,000 of his own people.

The Democrats are complaining about how long the war is taking.But.It took less time to take Iraq than it took Janet Reno to take the Branch Davidian compound. That was a 51-day operation.

We've been looking for evidence for chemical weapons in Iraq for less time than it took Hillary Clinton to find the Rose Law Firm billing records.

It took less time for the 3rd Infantry Division and the Marines to destroy the Medina Republican Guard than it took Ted Kennedy to call the police after hisOldsmobile sank at Chappaquiddick

It took less time to take Iraq than it took to count the votes in Florida!!!!

Our Commander-In-Chief is doing a GREAT JOB! The Military morale is high!

The biased media hopes we are too ignorant to realize the facts.

But Wait . there's more!

JOHN GLENN (ON THE SENATE FLOOR)Mon, 26 Jan 2004 11:13

Some people still don't understand why military personnel do what they do for a living. This exchange between Senators John Glenn and Senator Howard Metzenbaumis worth reading. Not only is it a pretty impressive impromptu speech, but it's also a good example of one man's explanation of why men and women in the armedservices do what they do for a living.

This IS a typical, though sad, example of what some who have never served think of the military.

Senator Metzenbaum (speaking to Senator Glenn):"How can you run for Senate when you've never held a real job?"

Senator Glenn (D-Ohio):"I served 23 years in the United States Marine Corps. I served through two wars. I flew 149 missions. My plane was hit by anti-aircraft fire on 12 different occasions. I was in the space program. It wasn't my checkbook, Howard; it was my life on the line. It was not a nine-to-five job, where I took time off to take thedaily cash receipts to the bank."

"I ask you to go with me ... as I went the other day...to a veteran's hospital and look those men ...with their mangled bodies ... in the eye, and tell THEMthey didn't hold a job!

You go with me to the Space Program at NASA and go, as I have gone, to the widows and orphans of Ed White, Gus Grissom and Roger Chaffee... and you look those kids in the eye and tell them that their DADS didn't hold a job.

You go with me on Memorial Day and you stand in Arlington National Cemetery, where I have more friends buried than I'd like to remember, and you watchthose waving flags...

You stand there, and you think about this nation, and you tell ME that those people didn't have a job?

What about you?"

For those who don't remember .. During W.W.II, Howard Metzenbaum was an attorneyrepresenting the Communist Party in the USA.

Now he's a Senator!

If you can read this, thank a teacher.If you are reading it in English thank a Veteran.

Monday, February 6

This has been going 'round the internet and I get a huge kick out of it. Wish the government WOULD sponsor a program like this!

The National Lark Program

This is an idea who's time has come!!

THE LARK PROGRAM

A Lady libertarian wrote a lot of letters to the White House complaining aboutthe treatment of a captive insurgent (terrorist) being held in Guantanamo Bay. She received back the following reply:

The White House1600 Pennsylvania AvenueWashington, D.C. 20016

Dear Concerned Citizen,

Thank you for your recent letter roundly criticizing our treatment of the Talibanand Al Quaeda detainees currently being held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Our administration takes these matters seriously and your opinion was heardloud and clear here in Washington. You'll be pleased to learn that, thanks to theconcerns of citizens like yourself, we are creating a new division of the TerroristRetraining Program, to be called the "Liberals Accept Responsibility for Killers"program, or LARK for short.

In accordance with the guidelines of this new program, we have decidedto place one terrorist under your personal care. Your personal detaineehas been selected and scheduled for transportation under heavily armedguard to your residence next Monday.

Ali Mohammed Ahmed bin Mahmud (you can just call him Ahmed) is to be caredfor pursuant to the standards you personally demanded in your letter of complaint.It will likely be necessary for you to hire some assistant caretakers.

We will conduct weekly inspections to ensure that your standards of care forAhmed are commensurate with those you so strongly recommended inyour letter.

Although Ahmed is a sociopath and extremely violent, we hope that yoursensitivity to what you described as his "attitudinal problem" will helphim overcome these character flaws. Perhaps you are correct indescribing these problems as mere cultural differences. We understandthat you plan to offer counseling and home schooling.

Your adopted terrorist is extremely proficient in hand-to-hand combatand can extinguish human life with such simple items as a pencil or nailclippers. We advise that you do not ask him to demonstrate these skillsat your next yoga group. He is also expert at making a wide variety ofexplosive devices from common household products, so you may wish tokeep those items locked up, unless (in your opinion) this might offendhim.

Ahmed will not wish to interact with you or your daughters (exceptsexually), since he views females as a subhuman form of property. Thisis a particularly sensitive subject for him and he has been known toshow violent tendencies around women who fail to comply with the newdress code that he will recommend as more appropriate attire. I'm sureyou will come to enjoy the anonymity offered by the burka -- over time.

Just remember that it is all part of "respecting his culture and hisreligious beliefs" -- wasn't that how you put it?

Thanks again for your letter. We truly appreciate it when folks like youkeep us informed of the proper way to do our job. You take good care ofAhmed - and remember..we'll be watching.

Wednesday, February 1

We are eagerly looking forward to your address to the graduating class at West Point on May 27. Our oldest grandson will graduate that day and we will be in the audience, cheering him – and you. (And I will, most surely, be in tears.)

Last night in your State of the Union speech you made the most important statement you have made in your entire political career. You ran by it like a freight train through a crossing, but you said it. The media won’t pick it up because they don’t want to hear it but I, as a patriot, a citizen and a voter, want to spotlight it.

There’s an old joke: “When did the Romans become Italians?” I wonder if the question will be asked of Americans some day. And I wonder what the synonym/epithet comparable to “Italians” will be.

You said, ". . .many Americans, especially parents, still have deep concerns about the direction of our culture, and the health of our most basic institutions. They are concerned about unethical conduct by public officials. . ."

Amen, I say. But being deeply concerned is useless. We need to do something about it. That's difficult because we are to blame.

Consider one of my recent political experiences:

In my research for a campaign close to my heart I accessed the public records concerning campaign funding for my local Representative, Dennis Moore. In those records I discovered that he has blatantly and (obviously) knowingly defied the Federal campaign law that restricts individual giving to $2,000.00 for a single campaign. Some of his contributors coughed up $6,000 during his last campaign and it's all there, in the public records.

So, at a meeting of local political activists, I asked what I should do with the knowledge -- and the proof -- that this man, now serving in Congress, has not only disobeyed the law but has flagrantly done so.

"Oh, everyone does it," these (Republican) politicos said to me, laughing and passing on to other subjects.

So..."everyone" breaks Federal campaign laws and regulations. That's bad enough but what's worse is that the American voter shrugs his shoulders and says, "Oh, well...everyone does it." By condoning such behavior, we encourage and support it.

Now consider another experience of mine: there’s a young man, Chuck Ahner, who is running for Dennis Moore’s seat in the upcoming election. Ahner is a West Point graduate. He will be opposed in a primary by another Republican candidate. Because of our experience with West Point and The Long Gray Line (our grandson, his father and grandfather and uncles as well as many of my cousins are all West Point graduates) we know how important honor is to them. And we know they really do live it, day by day.

So I, expressing my support for Mr. Ahner’s candidacy, am finding that the OBJECTION to him among local politicos is that he is a West Point graduate. “That’s all he has going for him,” they say. Never mind that he’s a conservative…the trouble is that he is perceived as being honest. Politicians, it seems, do not believe in honesty.

Is the American voter afraid of honesty? How dare we complain about lack of honor among our Congresspeople when we don't require it of them. "Honor" is outdated, old-fashioned, it is said. "No one believes that stuff today." The concept of “duty” died long ago. It is dead and buried in civilian life. God bless the USMA for keeping it alive in at least one segment of our society.

If honor is dead, then there is no hope for our nation. If we are not honorable and if we do not insist on honor, morality and ethical behavior from those who serve our nation, we deserve what we get.

We're already reaping the "rewards" of shrugging our shoulders and turning our backs on the concept of honor.

When the President of the United States can lie to a Grand Jury and the people shrug their shoulders and say, "well, it was about something personal" and believe that honesty in personal life is not important . . .

When a witness in a courtroom no longer has to swear "...so help me God" because it doesn't matter because people who don't believe in God will lie anyway, so why even try to hold anyone to a high standard . . .

When major American media -- like the New York Times and CBS News -- are content to manufacture and publish material they know to be unchecked and possibly even libelous because the courts have held that high-profile people can't sue to protect their reputations. . .

When people can't believe that others live according to the higher standards of honor and morality simply because they don't, won't or can't themselves . . .

And when those people belittle others who do live by a higher code and hold them up to ridicule. . .

. . . then our nation is lost and our legacy of freedom and liberty, two concepts that can exist only under honor, no longer exists. And it's our fault because we shrug our shoulders and say, "Oh well, everyone does it?”

Please, Mr. President. You need to address this issue. You need to be vocal about it. If you can leave a legacy of raising the American consciousness to the need for honor and ethics in our society, you will strengthen the nation and extend our heritage for another hundred years. If you don’t, we are lost.

Thank you, sir, for your service to our country. Thank you for suffering the slings and arrows of a vicious press and of vile political opponents. Thank you for loving our people and for doing your best.